Pages

Wednesday, 12 February 2014

I just made a twitter account that I will use for this blog. Blog twitter: @watchmereadFeel free to still follow my personal: @naanbread_Join my group on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/119697-several-books-at-onceAdd me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5010044-leona

Tuesday, 11 February 2014

Summary from Goodreads:Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

Wake has been on my TBR list for a very long time bust I never got around to buying it. Then I found a copy of it for £1.50 and it was just fate. The story that Amanda Hocking has created is one unlike I have read before. I was unfamiliar with the "creatures" that we encounter in Wake. I had heard of them and knew what they did but I had never read a book about them before. It was a wonderful change from the normal types that are so very overused in most young adult books today.There is a bit of mystery in the book. We know little about Penn, Lexi and Thea and you become captivated in wanting to find out more about them. I was glued to the book just so I could find out who they are and what they wanted with Gemma. Amanda Hocking has a wonderful style of writing that is engaging and easy to follow. Her characterisation in Wake was phenomenal and it was clear that each character stood on their own two feet and wanted to be seen as an individual. I can't emphasis enough how important it is for characters to be different and not to blend together to form one. Penn, Lexi and Thea in particular were very well developed and had different personalities and you could make distinctions between them.The story is told from the point of view of Gemma and her sister, Harper. The narrative switches between them and, thanks again to Hocking's style of writing, it was very easy to follow and you could tell the difference between the voices of the two characters. We get to see how the two sisters are alike, and at the same time they are almost the complete opposite of one another. It was just wonderful to read from the point of view of both of them and I think it was important to get to read from both of their perspectives in order to understand the feelings and motivations of them individually. When I finished Wake I was just dying to read the next book. It was addictive, page turning and brilliant. A must read!

Monday, 10 February 2014

Today I have the pleasure of having Cat Patrick author of Forgotten, Revived, The Originals and co-author of Just Like Fate with Suzanne Young.

Hi Cat. Thanks for being here.

Thanks for having me!

What is the first thing you do when you sit down to write a book?

I obsess about the character’s names. I take my time naming them: looking up meanings, creating nicknames, etc. I will have to spend a lot of time with those names, so I want them to be right. I’m not an outliner, so from there, I just pretty much start writing.

All of your books have had very unique ideas. How do you come up with them?

Inspiration really does come from everywhere: You just have to be open to noticing the people, places, things around you. Specifically, the idea for Forgotten hit me when I was thinking about amnesia; I thought: What if you could remember forward instead? The concepts for Revived and The Originals were both products of my reading strange science news on the internet and letting my brain run away with the ideas. Just Like Fate is similar in concept to the movie Sliding Doors: I’ve long wanted to explore the “what if” moments in life in that way, but it took for me to meet Suzanne Young to really get that idea right.

All of your books, so far, have been stand alone. Do you plan on writing a series?

Yes, the (unsold) book I’m writing now will be the first in a series.

Of the books that you have written, which is your favourite and why?

That’s like asking me to choose between my babies! I love them all for different reasons: Forgotten for being the first, and for its twist; Revived for the emotional side of it: Audrey’s story was inspired by a family friend’s; The Originals for its exploration of the bonds of sisterhood; and Just Like Fate for the new—and amazing—experience of writing with another author.

What would you like to do in the next 10 years?

Be the best mom I can be. Travel. Write a TON. Sell a series. Be healthy and happy and spend time with people who make me laugh.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Well, write. We all make excuses for putting it off, but the way to get better is to write all the time. Also, read. I get so much inspiration from others’ amazing work.

I would once again like to thank Cat for being here! Make sure to check out her books.

Monday, 3 February 2014

Summary from Goodreads:Nobody really believes in a curse. Until you know the people who disappear. Too much coincidence, you look for reason. Too much death, you grasp for something to blame. Carson pulled Delaney out and he died on the side of the road with her mouth pressed to his. Her air in his body. Troy. She told the cops it was suicide. Didn't matter. The lake released her and grabbed another. But when Decker's father dies in a pool of spilled water on their kitchen floor, all Decker can feel is a slow burning rage. Because he knows that Delaney knew that his dad was going to die. She knew and backed out of his house and never said a word. Falcon Lake still has a hold on them both, and Decker can't forgive Delaney until he knows why.So it would appear that Megan Miranda has written another book that has left me completely gob smacked. What can I say about vengeance that I haven't already said about her other books? Vengeance is a sequel to Miranda's debut novel, Fracture, except this time the book is told from Decker's point of view. Can I get a hell yeah? I mean, who didn't just adore Decker in Fracture? Decker became a harder character for a good portion of this book and I think it was important that he did. He reacted in a normal, human way to a difficult situation and it made me love him more. Miranda's wonderful writing style effortlessly kept me engrossed through Decker's development and his challenges.Decker's and Delaney's relationship is different from that of the end of Fracture. In many respects we are seeing the relationship that they had throughout fracture. Delaney is the same girl that we know and love. However, while I adore her we are seeing her through Decker's eyes and they aren't seeing her too favorably at the present time. Once again, the writers powerful writing is brought in to play here.I honestly can't begin to praise Megan Miranda enough. I feel as though all of my words will fall short. The writing was wonderful and engaging and entertaining. The characters were real, you lived them, you hated then but you wanted them to be happy because they aren't bad people. They are good people that bad things have happened to. The entire book was eerie and creepy and wonderful. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Much more. I will admit that I never hold out too much hope for sequels but, given Megan Miranda's wonderful writing style, I had my hope unconventionally high. And guess what? They were surpassed even more than I could hope for.I realise now that this has been more of a gush fest than a review. Ah well. Go read it. Now.